What If? (Need You Now)
by SciFiRN
Summary: Ray Jay thinks Dani is missing, or is she because she shows up at Nico's door with a request. Loving, established relationship, futurefic. Canon with All the Words. Rated M.


**_NOTE:_**Now, this piece is more a companion piece to **Nico Does a Bad Bad Thing** than anything else. It is more a contrast of how things are when today's Nico loves the person he is with and is put in a similar situation. The woman at his door needs something specific that he can, is willing and even wants to give... very similar play, very different themes and very different outcome. This could be called _Nico Does a Very Good Thing_, but some people still wouldn't view it that way...**  
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**What If? (Need You Now)**

Nico slammed the door and set the alarm. He was thrilled to be home. It had been a long two weeks gone. His suitcase wheel had been catching, so he'd carried it up the hall and he cursed as he dropped it by the door. He'd get it in a while. He needed to unwind. The team had been in rare form and he'd spent more time than usual putting out fires.

Three mistresses had started arguments with the players and there'd been an all-out catfight between one of them and a wife that had required a 911 call and hospital visit for the wife. All he really wanted was a drink, a hot shower, something to eat and solid night of sleep and to see Dani tomorrow. He'd missed her. He smiled as he pulled a beer from the fridge. He needed her in the worst way; god two weeks was way too long.

The mewing sound brought him out of his fantasy and as he was opening the drawer to find the bottle opener the mangy cat appeared on the counter.

"Miss me did you?" He popped the top off his bottle and tossed it into the trash. "Or did you just miss the supply of tuna?" He rubbed the cat behind the ears and scratched down his back as he purred.

The cat turned and nuzzled against his hand, begging for another rub, purring louder and even meowing again.

"Okay, I got it. Tuna, now…scratching later. I'll get the tuna..." He obliged the cat, scratching him as he took a long drink from his beer with a smile in his eyes. "I swear Onyx, you use me for food and massage." He winked, set his bottle down and then reached up to open an upper cabinet. Nico pulled a can of expensive tuna down. It didn't take long for the beat up kitten to develop expensive taste once he was rescued. He stopped eating grocery store brand food almost immediately. Now, only top of the line brands for him. Nico held up the can and let the cat peruse the label. "I think this is a good vintage. Shall we let it breathe sir?" He popped the top off.

Onyx didn't wait for a plate, just shoved his owner's hand out of the way, and even before the can was set on the counter started devouring the tuna with a satisfied half growling sound.

Nico made a disapproving sound in his throat and stroked the cat's back. "Bad manners…" He smiled, turned and picked his beer up from the counter. He considered grabbing his iPad from his office, but changed his mind and decided that he could check his email from his phone just as easily. So instead of immediately climbing up to his office he considered catching a nap in his own bed first, hell he hadn't quite planned his evening, but he had the next two days off and he was happy about that. He sank onto the couch with a long sigh to finish his beer.

He leaned back, stretched out his legs and took another drink. He toed off his shoes and got comfortable. He was enjoying the silence. It had been two weeks of noise. He hadn't had much time to himself. He'd caught up with Dani in bits and pieces of conversation. He knew she had a difficult new client she'd been dealing with and for the past four days he'd only heard from her about five minutes each day. She had been stressed and tired, but so had he and by the time they'd caught each other on the phone it had been late. Most of their interaction had been via text. Plenty of: I love you, I miss you, I need you and I want you. He took another sip and his phone rang.

He cursed and pulled the phone from his pocket. He frowned at the screen. It was Ray Jay.

He accepted the call. "Ray Jay, what's going on? How's practice going?" Nico hoped the kid had stayed out of trouble. He was starting his sophomore year at Syracuse. He was playing football on a scholarship. Things were good for him. He was even doing well academically. "Staying healthy?"

"Yea, I'm good man. Nothing new since I saw you last month." He said something to someone on his end of the line. "Sorry about that, I'm calling about mom. Have you heard from her?"

Nico frowned. "I texted her this morning, she texted back, but that was all." He sat up and put his beer on the table. "What's wrong Ray Jay?"

"I don't know if anything's wrong, but she's not answering her phone and Lindsay saw her around noon. They were supposed to have lunch together, but mom met her at the house and then cancelled. Mom's new client, the one she's been having all the problems with, well she tried to kill herself. Mom was upset. Linds said she was really upset when she left the house. She told Lindsay she was heading to the hospital to meet with the family."

"Shit." He stood and ran a hand through his hair. "What hospital?"

"I don't know and I called all the ones on the island and asked for her, but she isn't a patient and I don't know the patient's name. They did page her for me at most of them, but nothing. I'm worried Nico. Lindsay says she's been really distracted. You need to find her."

"Okay, I can find her and I will. I'm sure she's fine and when I find her I'll call or text you." He was worried, but he was positive she was okay and that he could find her. He already knew he could locate her.

"Good and you'll call right? Like as soon as you find her because Lindsay's breathing down my neck on this." He laughed nervously.

Nico smiled. He knew she wasn't really breathing down his neck since she had just started her freshman year at Columbia, but he was sure he'd heard from her several times. Lindsay could be persistent. "I'll let you know as soon as I know what's going on."

"Dude, if Lindsay's worried…it's bad."

"I know and I am too. I'm on it, let me do my thing now Ray Jay." Nico needed to get the kid off the phone so he could do just that.

"Yea, okay…thanks and love ya man."

"Love you too kid. I'll get back with you." He hung up and dialed Dani. The call went immediately to voicemail. He cursed and left a message.

"Dani, answer the damn phone if you can. Call me." He hung up and texted her a simple, "911."

Then he scrolled through his applications. He hadn't ever needed to use it, but he had an application that let him track all the phones on their plan. He entered Dani's number and waited for the GPS to locate her.

He was shocked when the address listed was his own. He moved to the video screen by his door. He hit the button and scrolled through the camera feeds until he found the one in the garage. The parking place beside his had been empty when he'd arrived, but it was occupied now. He'd purchased it a year ago. It had only made sense. They spent as much time at his place as they did at hers.

He sighed and sent a text to Ray Jay: She just got here. She's fine. I'll call later. Let Linds know.

He was angry and worried at the same time. He was also frustrated and tired. He had wanted peace tonight. He took a deep breath and redialed her number. If she knew what was good for her, she'd answer this time.

"Nico…" She'd been crying and her voice wavered.

"Danielle." He kept his voice even, calm. "I asked you to call me back."

She sniffed and he could tell she wiped her nose. "I know, I'm sorry…I just couldn't. I'm…I…I don't know."

"Ray Jay called me. He's worried. You weren't answering Lindsay or his calls. That's not like you. They couldn't find you. Then you didn't answer me. Where are you?" He knew the answer, but he wanted to see what hers was.

"Here, I couldn't go home…I…can I come in please?"

There was a hesitant knock at his door and he realized that the camera feed had been locked on the garage feed. She must have been in the elevator by the time he cycled through the feeds and since there were no cameras in the elevator he wouldn't have seen her.

He undid the locks and entered the code for the alarm. He pulled open the door and stepped aside as he lowered the phone from his ear. "Dani, what the hell baby?" He shut the door and slid the locks into place quickly. He had her in his arms in seconds and she sagged heavy against him. He held her and leaned against the door. "Shh, it's okay." He kissed her head and pulled her tighter to him. "Do you want to talk?"

She shook her head against his chest and gripped his shirt. "No."

He sighed. He figured as much. He could feel the tension coiled under her skin. He knew part of it was the nature of their separation, but there was also the stress of what she'd been through. Dammit, he'd been through plenty, so he had his own tension and he knew how she felt, but he also knew she tended to carry hers close to the surface. He pulled her from his chest and looked her in the eye. "What did you come here for Dani?"

Fresh tears ran down her cheeks. She didn't want to tell him. She still struggled with finding words for what she wanted and needed. She searched his eyes and then dropped her eyes. "Please don't make me wait until tomorrow to be with you…" She looked back up at him. "I need you tonight." She gripped his arms desperate for him to understand. "The girl, the one who I was working with…" She shook her head and a sob caught in her throat. "She was only seventeen…seventeen…oh god…" She swayed and if it weren't for the fact that she was holding onto Nico and he was holding her, she probably would have fallen.

He pulled her closer as her legs went weak. Shit, the girl didn't make it. "Fuck Dani, I'm sorry." He led her to the couch and sat her down. Then he moved to the kitchen and poured a small amount of scotch into a glass for her and a slightly larger amount for himself. He added water to hers and then moved back to her side. He pressed the scotch and water into her hands. "Sip slowly." He sat beside her and slid his arm behind her and settled her against his side. "I love you." He pressed a kiss to her ear. "You know this isn't your fault. She came to you as a referral, already on medication, she'd seen other therapists; right?"

Dani nodded woodenly beside him and then sipped from her glass. She let the liquor burn down her throat and wished it would burn the family's accusations from her brain and burn the guilt away too. She squeezed her eyes closed against the pain and leaned into the man beside her. She took a breath and focused on the sound of his voice. It calmed her. Always brought her focus, but it wasn't making the pain go away. She took another sip and swallowed with a small wince.

"Dani? I asked you a question." Nico's voice was sharp and Dani jumped at the sound of it. He took her glass and set it down.

"Sorry, what?" She looked up at him. "I didn't hear you."

He frowned. "I asked if you really felt you could have healed her in the week you had known her?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "No, but I told her I'd help her not hurt herself if that's what she wanted. She promised she didn't want to hurt herself. I thought we'd made progress." She opened her eyes and saw that he was watching her with dark eyes and a darker frown. She shivered and the hand on her shoulder tightened its grip.

He nodded. "She made her own decision Dani." He wiped a tear from her face. "A decision only she could make. Marshall promised me he'd never hurt himself and we'd known each other a lifetime." He searched her face. "It didn't stop him from doing it. Hope is what people crave and without that one drop of it in their life it makes it easy for them to cross that line. No one can decide for another person what that drop of hope is. Not you…and not me." He cupped her cheek. "I've had hope at different points in my life. Little drops of hope have fallen like rain. My sisters, Mrs. Spanelli, my grandparents, the Navy, even Marshall, Juliette and most recently, you Danielle." He paused and kissed her then. "You are the best thing to come into my life in a long, long time and I'm here for you no matter what."

She bit her lip and sobbed. "God, why do I ever doubt that you'll make things better?"

He smiled sadly. "Good question. I might not be perfect, but I try to make you happy and I'd do anything to make you not hurt like you are right now. I don't like that you doubt yourself, you're an excellent therapist, but you can't save everyone Dani. You're the one who taught me that." He waited a beat and then he added. "I really don't like when you doubt me."

She shook her head and looked him in the eye. She hadn't meant it that way. She needed him to know that. "I don't doubt you…ever." She blinked through tears. "I doubt me and that I know what I want or even need." She wiped her face. "I wish I knew. The only thing I know is that you seem to know what I need and when I'm with you…I want whatever it is you want, even if it is something I don't think I want..." She closed her eyes and swayed against him with a soft moan as she remembered time after time the number of things she had told him she didn't want only to be proven wrong.

"You make me feel so much and it makes the thoughts, the pain and the confusion fade away. It's therapy for my soul; it's like the deepest form of meditation. Everything's gone…until I just am and then it's me and you and I can't even explain it."

"You just did." He took her hands and turned her to face him. "Look at me." When she did he continued. "What did you come here for? I want you to tell me. Ask for what you need."

She bit her lip and shook her head. She knew it was something they'd been working on. She didn't like asking for what she wanted.

"You've done it before." One brow arched over a dark hazel eye and he waited. He leaned closer and kissed a path to her ear. His voice had dropped to a husky version of its normal timbre. "I want to hear you say it, tell me baby…ask me for what you want…what you need. What do you want me to do to you?" He felt her shiver as his breath slid over her neck and ear. He traced the curl with his tongue and scraped his teeth along the curve of her neck. "You smell delicious Dani…" His lips skimmed over hers and she whimpered when he pulled back so he could see her face. "Do it. Tell me." His voice had picked up more authority.

She blinked up at him and then lowered her eyes. He had her nerves on end now. She still wondered how he did that. Two years together and he could just whisper in her ear and she was dripping down her legs. "Please…I need you." She moved, lifted her chin when his head moved lower and she almost moaned when his fingers touched the skin in the V of her blouse and he opened a button.

"I know you need me." He took one of her hands that were fisted in his shirt and pressed it against his fly. "I need you too." He flattened her palm against his straining erection and used her palm to stroke himself. "Mmm, I need so much from you. Should I tell you what I want?"

Her head shot up and her eyes were wild when they found his. "Please Sir."

He chuckled. "There you are…" He kept her hand pressed against him, but he stopped stroking. "Now, tell me what you need Danielle."

Damn him, he always managed to get her to slip and now she couldn't look away from him. His eyes were locked on hers now. She bit her lip and she felt his cock throb under her hand. She was a mess of thoughts and feelings. She wanted him to fuck her, but that was on the bottom of her list. Her breaths came in uneven, unsteady gasps.

She took a deep breath and tried to slow her racing heart. "I need you to make me forget." She nodded her head slowly. "I want to feel the blood pound through my veins to the rhythm of your whip or flogger or strap or cane, I don't care as long as it pleases you Sir. I want the marks on my body tomorrow, and them not to fade until next week." She whimpered and hummed. "I want to see them and know you put them there. I want you to make me hurt until it pleases you. I want to make you happy. Most of all I want to see that look on your face." A small sob caught in her throat and she swallowed it, but the tears fell. "I want to see that one I only see then…when I please you so much you forget everything too." She reached up and touched his face to smooth a line on his forehead. Her fingers trailed down his cheek and then rested on his shoulder. "But I need to feel all the pain you think I need until the pain in my heart is gone. I want to get lost, to forget time and place, even if it's just for a little while, and when I finally come back to reality to know you'll be there." She shivered at the intense heat rising in his eyes. "Oh god, yes and then you'll make love to me, fuck me and fill that hole with who you are and that helps fight the hurt too." She sobbed and wiped her eyes. "I know the hurt's not gone for good, but I know what you do helps numb it, lets me process it at a slower rate." She was sobbing by the time she was done. "That's what I want…what I need, please Sir…will you?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Have I ever said no to you?"

She shook her head. "No Sir, but you've made me wait…" She sobbed and a fresh round of tears started as she shook her head. "I don't think I could wait. I know we were supposed to have breakfast tomorrow." She bit her bottom lip and wiped her eyes. She couldn't wait and her shoulders shook at the thought of having to. She needed to at least be here with him.

She loved what her life had become and if anyone in her past would have told her she'd be living the life she was right now, she would have signed them up for therapy. But, she wouldn't change a thing…well she might change one or two; mainly the living arrangements, but that was minor and she felt that was going to change soon now that the kids were both in college full-time.

Nico watched her face. It was true he had made her wait for certain things. She didn't always get what she wanted, when she wanted it and sometimes he completely denied her something he didn't think she was ready for or thought she just shouldn't have, but when she truly had a need; well that was something completely different. He cupped her cheek. "Danielle, after Lindsay was hurt or when Ray Jay left for college…did I say no?"

She shook her head. He was right, both of those times she'd needed him desperately and he'd been there. The time with Lindsay had been especially difficult for him, more difficult than she'd known and she'd nearly pushed him to a breaking point and she only realized how close a little later on. And still he'd given her what she'd needed. He hadn't walked away from her then. Why did she think he would turn her away now? "No Sir…god I'm sorry…you always…I'm sorry." She started sobbing and threw herself against his chest.

He let her cry and pulled her onto his lap so he could hold her easier. He knew she needed to just let it out. "Shh, I love you and I know you're upset and not thinking clearly baby…Shhh." She calmed down after a minute or two and he pushed her hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to her damp cheek. He lifted her chin and looked down at her. "Go, take a shower. Did you eat anything?"

She shook her head. "No Sir…I'm not hung…" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw him frown and realized he didn't ask if she was hungry. "No, I didn't eat and I'll go shower now. Thank you."

He nodded and nudged her from his lap. "Good girl." He stood with her and pulled her against him before she got away. He captured her mouth with his. His tongue slid between her lips and caressed hers. He played softly in her mouth. It was a gentle possession, but a possession none the less. He didn't give any quarter or let her take any of the lead. He pushed and played and forced her tongue to play along. He tasted and tempted her tongue into his mouth only to push it back into hers. He pulled back and teased her lips and pressed his body against hers while his hands eased down her back to her ass to press her against him. He pulled back with a soft growl. His eyes were heavy lidded and dark with passion when he gazed down at her.

"God I missed you Danielle." He gathered her hair in his hand and pulled it from her face and away from her neck. He let his eyes linger on the graceful lines of her neck for a few seconds. Then his voice was hoarse when he finally told her, "Go," and nodded toward his room.

She nodded and left him standing by the couch.

His phone had buzzed twice so he checked it once Danielle had left the room. One was from Ray Jay and the other was from Lindsay, both were checking back in. He sent each a quick reply that everything was fine and he'd call, or have Dani call them both in the morning. He was going to feed her and tuck her into bed. Which was how the night would start and end, he was just leaving out what would occur in between those two acts, so he did not feel he was lying. He hoped that was enough to quiet them both for now.

He moved to the kitchen and cursed silently because there wasn't going to be much in the fridge, him having been gone two weeks, but he checked anyway. There were eggs and there was milk. He raised an eyebrow and checked the date. He frowned and shook his head. It expired over a week past and call him coward, but he wasn't sniffing that to check. He set it on the counter so he could toss it and then he checked the drawer. There was cheese, there always was, so he pulled that out along with some crème fraiche and butter. He had dried herbs, not quite as good as fresh, but they would do.

He could make an omelet with water instead of milk. He'd done it plenty of times before. It probably wasn't the best cuisine, but it would do in a pinch. So, he set about doing just that and by the time Dani came out of his room wearing one of his shirts and nothing else, he had two simple herb and cheese omelets with crème fraiche set on plates. He pulled out a stool by the counter. "Sit. There wasn't much in the fridge." He slid a plate and a fork to her and opened a cabinet for a glass and then pulled an unopened bottle of cranberry juice from the door of fridge. "I do have juice however." He opened it and poured some into the small glass for her and set it down in front of her.

He watched her as he moved to retrieve the scotch glasses. He took a few seconds to move the table they had been on against the wall. He hadn't touched his and sipped some as he moved to the kitchen. He put hers in the sink and then sat across her to eat his omelet.

"I worked hard on that baby. Ray Jay said you skipped lunch which means you didn't eat all day." He picked up his fork and took a bite of his eggs. "It's good, I swear." He chewed and watched her as he ate.

She picked up her fork. "Thank you." She took a bite and chewed. It was good, but then his omelets always were. She ate another bite and only started realizing how hungry she actually was as she ate. She finished quickly and then reached for the juice. She almost wished there were more, but one was probably enough. She drank her juice and looked at Nico. "How did you know?"

He smiled. "I figured that since you hadn't eaten, you needed to. I didn't actually know." He had finished his own and he set his fork down and he sipped his drink.

Dani leaned over, kissed his cheek and then got up and gathered the plates and the pan. She washed up quickly and then put things in their places. It was done in under ten minutes and had given her something to do. He had watched her do it from his seat and she turned from putting something away under the counter and he had a smile on his face.

"I like you in my clothes." He slid his empty glass to her.

She took it and rinsed it before setting it in the small dishwasher. "I like wearing them." She smiled at him and then just stood where she was because she wasn't sure what to do next.

"How do you feel?" She looked better; quieter and more focused, but he felt it was just a façade she had up.

"Shaky, like I'm about to come out of my skin." She rubbed her hands up her arms as if she were cold.

He reached for her, took her hand and pulled her so she stood between his knees. He slid the buttons through the holes on the shirt and pushed it from her shoulders. He hung it on the back of the chair beside him and smoothed her hair over her shoulders. "I like you even better out of my clothes."

He locked his eyes on hers and let his calloused finger tips drift lightly over the skin of her neck and shoulders, down her arms and breasts. He teased over her belly to her hips and then back up to her breasts. He cupped them and weighed them in his palms as his thumbs brushed her nipples.

His voice was husky when he spoke next. "How about you Danielle? Do you like it better out of my clothes?" He pinched each nipple, pulled and rolled them as he kept his eyes on hers.

She gasped. "Y…Yes Sir."

He smiled and bent closer to her so he could whisper in her ear. "I like it when you call me Sir and you aren't wearing your collar."

She blinked at him and reached up to her throat as if he suddenly mentioned something important. "I just…it's…is it wrong to call you that?" She didn't know why, sometimes things didn't make sense to her still. "I like the way it feels."

His hand sank into her hair and he shook his head before he pressed his forehead to hers. "God no baby, it's never wrong." He kissed her sweetly. "I love when you do."

She sighed and relaxed into him. She was starting to feel better.

"I'm going to get my things Danielle. Do you need the bathroom?"

"No Sir." She looked up at him and shivered at what she saw in his eyes. She let her eyes close and then opened them when he touched her face.

"Good, then wait for me in the living room, settle yourself and wait. Pick out some music first." He smiled at her. "Something I'll appreciate Danielle." He gripped her chin and his eyebrow shot up at a jaunty angle. "No repeats of the last time I asked you to do that."

She shivered and pressed her thighs together at the memory. Her voice was barely a whisper. "No Sir."

He smiled and turned her toward the living room. "Good." He landed a heavy handed slap in the center of her ass as she left. He bent by her ear. "Such a sexy backside…so damn creamy right now baby, you shouldn't expect it to be that way in the morning."

Her eyes closed and she shivered so hard her legs shook. She didn't look over her shoulder because if she did she'd stop and stare. God the man was in her head. She kept moving and heard him move to the bedroom. She took a breath and stopped by the shelf with the Bose SoundDock on it. There was an iPod in the dock and she scrolled through the playlists until she found one labeled with her name. Her eyebrows drew together. She glanced over her shoulder and hoped he wasn't behind her as she scrolled through the songs. Most she didn't recognize and she'd guess half were jazz compositions. She decided to play it and put it on random turned the volume down.

She turned and settled herself on her knees in the center of the rug where the coffee table usually sat. She took a few deep breaths, focused on the music and tried to keep her thoughts quiet as she closed her eyes. She wasn't sure how long she stayed there. She never was, it always felt like forever, but she doubted it was longer than a few minutes. His voice startled her.

"Danielle."

She opened her eyes and found his feet in front of her. She followed those up his black jeans to his waist. He wasn't wearing a belt. He had changed into a dark t-shirt. Her eyes found his.

He smiled down at her. He hadn't asked her to be on her knees. He wouldn't have minded if she were on the couch, but her submissive position made his gut clench. He held up her collar. "Lift up your hair."

She was already moving to do it. She loved the feel of the leather and silver against her skin. She straightened on her knees and almost whimpered when he centered the O-ring over her throat.

He smoothed the braided leather over her neck on either side of the O-ring and watched the smaller O-ring that hung from the large central one move against her throat as she swallowed. She bent her head forward for him and he buckled the collar, making sure it was comfortably tight before he slid the small padlock through its latch.

Dani sighed when she heard the lock click into place and then, as always he bent and kissed the nape of her neck and she shivered.

"Thank you." He whispered and then he stood and moved from behind her.

She looked up at him and noticed it. There was a difference in the way he carried himself, the set of his jaw. She knew the way he spoke would be different, but then she also knew she'd act different and she felt different. The ritual of the collar changed everything.

He slid the large, almost square, leather ottoman in front of her with his foot. "I want you face up, head and shoulders hanging off the end," he pointed toward the window. "Head that direction." He waited.

"Yes Sir." She moved and was up and on the ottoman as quickly as she could be. She sat on the edge facing him and then she laid back. This put her head and shoulders just at the other edge, so she had to actually scoot up a bit. She did and her head and shoulders slid off the ottoman. She wasn't stable in this position. She kept feeling like she was going to fall off the thing. She was startled when her legs were grabbed and pulled wide apart.

"Let me help." He pressed her ankle to the leg of the ottoman and then he was fastening it to the ottoman with something. He did the same to the other ankle. Then he sat back, squatting between her legs and looked. "Wiggle your feet." When she did he nodded. "Too tight?"

"No Sir."

"Good." He tickled her feet and then trailed his hands up her legs and inner thighs. Her legs were bent a bit and set very wide apart. "You look so fucking sexy like this Danielle." He leaned in and bit her high on the inner left thigh. He slowly increased the pressure and while he bit, he slowly circled around her clit, but didn't touch it.

"Ohhh…god." She moaned and she realized she couldn't press her legs together at all. She had no leverage with her legs tied the way they were. His bite was getting more and more painful and his finger was distracting her and the blood was rushing to her head. "Ohhh please…"

He stopped biting and licked over the spot lightly. He shifted to the other thigh and repeated. He kept his game up. Biting and increasing the pressure until her inner thighs were covered with bite marks and she was panting. He still hadn't touched her clit directly.

She kept raising her head to watch, only that increased the pressure in her lower belly by epic proportions and she wanted to scream. "Please Sir….god, yes…." She was begging. She needed him to touch her, she wanted him to, but she knew that wouldn't happen. Not yet. Never this early and he only found a new place to bite. Her hair was wet with tears of frustration.

He smiled and sat back he traced the lines on her thighs, semi-circle to semi-circle. "Those will look so pretty soon baby." He massaged the hurts with his thumbs and savored the full throated moan that filled the room. "Mmm, that you like." He stood and moved to the side of the ottoman. He looked down at her, caught her eyes. "So fucking pretty that way." He bent and lifted her head and shoulders. He massaged a bit. "Okay?"

She sniffed and swallowed. "Yes Sir." She had one hell of a head rush at the moment and her legs were on fire. Oh and she wanted to cum so fucking bad, but other than that.

He nodded and slowly he lowered her head again. His hand moved over her shoulder and then he let his nails, which weren't sharp, drag over her chest to her breast.

Dani inhaled at the change in sensation, not pain, but just a change. She made a sharp sound when he pinched her nipples and then his face was beside hers and he was smiling at her, only there was something about the smile.

"Clamps Danielle, I know how much you liked them last time, but I think it's time. I think you need them again." He wanted to see her face when he told her and he wasn't disappointed.

"Ohhh, please..." She blinked back the tears. She hadn't done well last time. Her nipples were damn sensitive. "Sir." She sniffed and then she nodded. "Okay, if you want them."

He pushed the hair from her face and kissed her. "Good girl." He lifted her head. "Let me move you."

He slid the ottoman to the left and then back. "Careful, keep your head up." He pushed the ottoman back a bit more and it was pressed against the couch. "Now you can rest your head." He winked at her. "And you can watch." He picked a set of tweezer style clamps from the counter and turned back to Dani. "These are what we used last time. You didn't do very well with them and they're basic. I don't like them, too lightweight."

Dani frowned and she wanted to complain. Those fuckers had pinched the hell out of her.

He picked something else up. "These are clover clamps, pretty standard." He carried them toward her. "No teeth, you squeeze and the open, let go and they close." He held them up so she could see. "This set has a little knob so I can adjust the tension. These are attached with a chain. Nice little bonus, but some aren't." He smiled and shrugged. "Now, we could just play with clothespins. Those big paperclips are great too and one day Danielle, zippers…mmm, you'll love those." He winked at her. He watched her face the entire time. He was just getting into her head. Which was exactly what this was about.

Dani watched him. All of this was just making her nervous. She nodded. "O…Okay…if that's what you want Sir." She licked her lips shivered when he circled her nipple with the cool metal of the clamp he was holding. She watched as her nipple hardened immediately. She felt her pulse pick up.

"None of it gets you hot though does it?" Nico asked her just before he fastened the clamp to the hard nipple.

"Oh wow…" Dani hissed. She hadn't expected that, though she should have. "It does, Sir…all of it. Yes, it does." She shifted as heat moved from her breast to her belly and lower.

Nico rolled her other nipple and then clamped the other nipple. He adjusted the tension to suit him and smiled when she arched a bit on the ottoman. He watched her eyes close and then open again. He didn't hesitate to land a hard slap between her legs.

"Fuck." Dani tried to pull away from the blow, but there wasn't anywhere to go. Her hands fisted and her legs strained against their ties. The heat in her belly increased and her nipples were on fire now. She took a breath and settled.

Nico slapped her again, harder just as she started coming down from the first.

"Sir, oh, Sir…" Her legs strained and she moved up on her elbows, which shifted the chains and clamps on her breasts and altered the sensation. That sent her head flying back on her shoulders. "Oh god…"

He smiled. "Careful what you do." He reached out and caught the chain with his right index finger. He tugged it gently.

"Ohh…ohh." Her eyes found his and went wide when he pulled the chain again. "Sir…oh god please." She was panting.

He shook his head. "Does it hurt or make you want to cum?"

Her brow furrowed. Was there a difference anymore? She wasn't sure. "Both Sir." Her eyes were wide and wild as he landed another slap between her legs as she watched. "Oh god yes…"

He dropped the chain and stood. He went to the counter and picked up a small latex flogger. He held the wooden handle and slapped his hand with the flogger to draw her attention to it. It made a nice sharp sound. It also left behind a nice sharp pain, though the size of this one limited the amount of power he could put behind it. The falls were only about ten or twelve inches long and extremely thin. It was meant to sting. He moved back to Dani.

She saw him moving toward her. She didn't remember this flogger, but honestly she didn't always remember what he used on her.

He trailed it lightly up her leg and between her legs and then he teased it over her right breast.

He pulled on the nipple clamp as he watched her face and teased the falls between her breasts.

"Ugh…" She wanted to move away from the pain in her breast, but he held the chain. She tried to move toward it, but he just smiled and pulled harder. She watched him lift his hand and bring the flogger down on her outer thigh. It stung and she gasped and jumped. "Oh god…" Pain shot through her breast when she jerked against the clamp."

He watched her face and then he started in earnest flicking his wrist over and over again on her thighs. He shifted, altered his position and slid his hold on the chain so that he had tension on both breasts. He also changed his technique with the flogger and altered the blows. He brought them down with more intensity. He moved from thigh to thigh as he listened to her breathing change.

She moaned and gripped the bed. Her eyes were wide and then she shut them only to open them a second later. She arched her back and then tried to sink into the bed. Nothing helped. And her legs were shaking. God, she wanted more and less and she didn't know.

Nico smiled knowingly, shifted, increased the pressure on the chain and then dusted a few strokes down the inside of her thighs. He smiled when her movements became even more erratic. "Do you like that Danielle?" His voice was heavy and thick. She had him hot. He loved her like this. He wanted her, but he wanted more from her. He wasn't done.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "God, yes Sir…" She was shaking and tense and her hands were fisted in the comforter. "Please."

He pulled on the chain and landed another three strokes with the flogger over her thighs. "Please what?" He frowned. "What is it you want? More, less?"

He smiled and dropped the chain between breasts.

"More Sir, please more…" Her eyes were desperate. "God more, more…"

He moved the flogger to hover over her labia and arched a brow. "Here? Do you want me to whip your pussy Danielle?" His left hand, which had been between her breasts, drew a lazy line down and over the sweet curve of her belly. He teased her navel and then slid lower. He waited for her answer. "Do you? Is that what you want? The bite of the flogger on your cunt?" He saw her face at his words and he smiled. Two fingers of his left hand brushed her clit.

Sensation exploded through her. "Ohhh, fuck…" She panted and looked at the man standing between her legs. "Oh yes, please Sir, please, yes…"

"Please what Danielle?"

She wanted to cum. "Please can I cum?"

He shook his head. "No. You haven't answered my question."

She shook her head. Question…Oh, fuck, she'd take anything right now. "Yes, please Sir, yes…pleassse whip, me, touch me…anything."

Her legs were shaking so badly now she thought she'd die and she was actually thankful her legs were tied. She watched him. Her body was on fire now, everywhere. She felt like she needed to scratch or rub against something; hell anything. Her nipples were really starting to ache and everything, every thought and every look from the man in front of her, made her throb between her legs.

She watched him; he held the flogger and for a long second it hovered between her legs. She held her breath and then in a blur it moved. It landed with a slapping sound and she came up from the ottoman. "Yes…fuck, yes…" Sensation sang through her and she wanted more of it. She didn't cum, she knew that wouldn't happen; hell it hurt. She was genuinely surprised by the hot, thick lick of pain that pushed through her. It made her throb deep and it made the burn inside much more intense.

She shivered and rolled with the next stinging blow he landed. She arched up into it as much as she could. A low, rumbling moan tore from her throat and continued as Nico doled out stroke after stroke with the small flogger.

He continued for another minute or so and then he stopped and smiled down at her. The skin of her thighs and labia was red and when he touched her, heated. "Mmm, nice."

His hand on her hot skin sent another wave of sensation through her and Dani wanted to scream. It rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down and it ended in a strangled sound. She stared at Nico with wild eyes and panted while she tried to ignore the fact that his index and middle fingers were straddling her clit and she couldn't tell if it hurt or was the most pleasurable thing she'd ever felt.

Nico watched his fingers tease her and debated making her cum, but she really wasn't ready yet. He smiled wickedly and then tugged the chain resting between her breasts. He pulled it straight upward and watched her face as he did. At first her eyebrows drew together, and then she bit her lip. He smiled when a low keening sound started in the back of her throat as he put more tension on the chain. He paused, but kept the tension steady.

"What Danielle?" He raised an eyebrow. "Can't you do more?"

She licked her now dry lips and swallowed. "I'm…I'm okay Sir." She blinked back the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes.

"Good." He slowly increased the pressure. "Worst part of clamps is when they come off." He pulled slowly, slowly and watched her face.

She fisted her hands and pounded the ottoman. She kept her eyes on his, somehow it made her feel better as she breathed and the noise she made as he pulled increased in volume until she felt the clamps pop off her nipples. She yelped. A short, bright scream when the left and then the right popped free. Oh god, that was bad, but then fire rushed into her nipples. "Oh god…." She reached for her breasts instinctively.

"Don't you dare." Nico's voice was sharp. "You don't have permission to touch yourself Danielle." He frowned and made a disapproving sound in his throat.

Her hands opened and closed and she nodded in frustration, but the initial intense pain was fading to a duller ache and burning sensation. She had been so distracted she didn't realize that Nico was untying her legs until he was mostly done with the second.

She looked down at him, but didn't move. She stayed in position until she was told she could move. She glanced at her breasts. The nipples were red and already bruising and her skin everywhere she could see was bright and pink to red.

Nico rested a hand in her hair and then used it to tug her upward. "Sit up baby." When she did he let her sit there for a few seconds. Then he hooked a finger in the O-ring of her collar. "Up." He tugged and when she stood, he led her toward the spiral staircase. He smiled at her when she looked at him, but he didn't say anything, he just released his hold on her collar and picked up her left arm, kissed her wrist and then turned her so she was facing the stairs. Then he lifted her wrist up over her head, pulling her up on to her toes just a bit before he pressed her wrist gently against the frame.

She felt cool metal around her wrist and when she looked up he was locking a handcuff around her wrist. She then watched as he locked the other end around the frame of the stairs. She watched as he repeated the motions for the other wrist.

He stepped back and she was handcuffed to his stairs with her hands over her head and slightly spread. She was on her toes and he felt it was perfect. He had always thought the stairs were perfect to use just this way and he was right. "It's almost as if someone designed the stairs this way." He laughed. He wouldn't deny he'd been picky looking for the right set of stairs when he'd had them put in. He knew what he'd wanted and exactly why he'd wanted them.

Dani was uncomfortable. Her arms were already starting to ache and her footing wasn't quite as secure as she'd like. She glanced over her shoulder and tried to see what was going on. She couldn't really see, so she waited quietly. It wouldn't matter anyway. She wanted whatever he brought next. She blinked and was surprised by the tear that fell down her cheek.

Something brushed across her back and she sighed at the feel of the soft leather strips of a flogger. Her heart started to race and her hands instinctively shifted to grip the iron crossbars of the stairs. The leather caressed her at first, soft and light and she changed her posture leaning over, pushing out her ass and letting her head fall forward some as she widened her stance a bit.

"Beautiful." He traced the flogger down her shoulder and over her hip.

She shivered and smiled. His words warmed her blood as much as anything else he did. She knew he was going to hit her soon and she tried to brace herself for the blow, but she was still startled when it came.

Nico smiled and as he continued to trace her hip with the flogger in his right hand he raised his left and brought a different, slightly heavier flogger down across her upper back.

Dani jumped and yelped. She hadn't been expecting that and she inhaled and managed to get out, "Thank you, Sir." Just before she felt the second thud vibrate through her. The pain was heavy and dull and sank in deep. She moaned and gripped the rail and realized the cuff was digging into her wrist and that hurt too.

Nico brought first one and then another flogger down on Dani's back. He rotated the locations in the pattern he had determined before he started. He often liked using two floggers at the same time, and he'd done this with Dani before. He knew she probably wouldn't remember. He watched her and smiled. God, she was so fucking beautiful, she was going to be the death of him one of these days.

Her head fell forward and she moaned as he changed the strokes to quicker, lighter ones. She moved up onto her toes and moved away from the blows on her upper back and shoulders with small noise. Then she started making low repetitive, "Oh…oh….Oh…" sounds when the blows landed low and heavy on her ass and thighs again.

She started floating with the pain and the rhythm. He was making music out of her pain and it was beautiful. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't sure she was seeing anything. Things were hazy and not right. Everything sounded far away and felt dulled and blurred. There was an ebb and flow to it and every once in a while something he did broke through to push her further and she cried out only to roll back under.

Nico knew she was where she'd asked him to put her, but he hadn't gotten what he needed. Dani could get what she needed long before he did. He smiled and lowered the floggers. He let his breathing slow and watched her. She was damn sexy where she was and fuck, he should be happy with what he'd accomplished. He should let her float a little longer and then bring her back with a different pain and finish this, but he wasn't done. He needed more. It was how they played and Dani was fine with how they played. She enjoyed it as much as him.

He set the floggers on the counter and picked up the Delrin cane. He smiled, she'd bought it for him about six months ago and he had to admit he loved it all the more because of it. There was something special about inflicting pain on someone you loved with something they bought you just for that purpose. His heart sped up and his cock thickened as he moved back to the woman in his living room. The woman he loved more than his own life.

He stepped up to her and pressed against her. He ran his hand down the length of her and cupped her breast. He rolled the nipple as his mouth found her left ear. "Danielle…hey baby, you hear me?" He continued to caress her as he nuzzled her neck and ear.

She mumbled something and pressed against his jaw. "Sir…mmm." Her head rolled back on her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered open and she struggled to focus on him. She wasn't ready to come down. Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. "Please not yet…Sir…please…" She kissed his cheek. "I want more Sir, please…"

The corners of his mouth lifted sharply as he pressed his cock against her ass and lifted the cane into her line of sight. "I'm not done with you yet Danielle."

She saw the cane, her eyes went wide and she shivered. She was still floating, but knowing that was coming was bringing her down quickly. She moaned and tugged against the cuffs.

"Are you okay in this position?" Do you need to move?" He ran a hand up her arms and checked her hands. They were cool and he knew her shoulders were probably hurting by now. He looked at her wrists. The cuffs had bit in and the left cuff had dug in enough to draw blood. It wasn't bad, but he'd move her. "Let me get you down."

She shook her head. "More…Sir."

He ignored her and pulled a key from the pocket of his jeans. He unlocked each cuff and as he held her until she found her balance he lightly rubbed her shoulders and then down her arms. Then he smiled down at her. He pushed her hair off her face and rubbed his hand down her back he traced over the welts from the flogger and watched her face as he touched the most tender of them. "You're doing so good Danielle…you're getting so much better with the flogger." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I can't wait to bend you over my bed and see how much better you do with the cane."

Dani pressed against him and his voice flowed over her thick and heady, both soothing and burning; like honeyed whiskey over a sore throat. She looked up at him with her heart in her eyes and then blinked back her tears. The thought of the cane made her breathless. She wanted him to be proud and she was afraid she'd fail with the cane. She hiccupped and pressed her head to his shoulder and nodded. "I…" She caught a sob. "I'll try Sir…for you…anything…"

Nico brushed a tear from her face. "Shh, you'll get through this for me." He kissed her lips lightly. "You're stronger than you think Dani." He straightened and his thumb brushed her cheek and then his finger hooked in the O-ring and he jerked her head toward the bedroom. "Come." He pulled her head downward slightly and led her to his room.

Dani stumbled slightly, but kept up otherwise. She swallowed down her fear and felt the adrenaline rush back through her at the thought of what was next. Heat was rushing through her again. Her shoulders burned and her fingers were tingling, her back was on fire, her thoughts were a jumbled mess. All she wanted was more of exactly what she had and more of whatever it was Nico wanted to give her.

He stopped her by the bed and set the cane on the mattress. He smiled when he saw her watch him and then he pulled his t-shirt over his head. He heard her gasp and when she made a needy sound in her throat his smile widened. "Do you like what you see Danielle?" He stepped toward her and reached for the cane.

She nodded and bit her lip. She shivered at the heat in his eyes and the moisture and heat that suddenly rushed between her legs. She pressed them together and moaned when she suddenly remembered the flogging she'd received there. "Ooohhh…"

"Legs apart." The cane skated up her calf as he pressed her left leg away from her right. "You should know better." The cane slid up her thigh as her legs slid further apart. "And, you're only hurting yourself anyway..." When her legs were wide enough, he flicked the tip of the cane rapidly between them.

Dani stiffened and went up on her toes. "Thank you…Sir." Her eyes went wide and found Nico's. "Sir…more…please." Her formed tight fists at her sides and she slid her legs further apart.

He smiled at her and nodded and stepped to the side, moving the cane as he did to the outside of her thighs now. He took her hand and held it over her head and turned her a bit, all the while landing blows on her thighs until he had turned her around and her ass was in view. "A pirouette of pain, my dearest Danielle." He kept a hold of her hand and landed a hard lick on her ass.

She moaned softly and gripped his hand. Then she took a deep breath and waited for the next blow, but he didn't land one. Instead he pressed her against the footboard and bent her over it. The wood bit into her belly and she squirmed and then settled onto her elbows. It wasn't comfortable, but then none of it was comfortable. She'd barely settled before a light blow landed on her upper back and she almost came up off the bed.

"Keep your head down and pull your hair out of the way."

Dani hurried to do as she was told as told and she knew that he hadn't hit her hard, but it hurt after the flogging. Also, he'd never used the cane on her upper back before; it hurt. She settled her head down and the next blow hit her upper back on the other side. This one stung and hit an already very sensitive spot. She moaned deep and pressed her face against her hands. She felt the tears start and fought them. She didn't want to cry.

Her moan went straight through him and his eyes drifted half closed and he waited for her posture to relax before he readied his next blow, but he was rock hard. He surveyed his work so far and he liked what he saw. He cleared his throat. "Wider stance Danielle." He pushed at her right foot. "Good." He let the cane trace her side, pulled back and with a flick of his wrist it landed hard in the center of her ass. He pressed it, let it drag and then pulled away. He waited a breath and repeated the blow in almost the exact spot. He stepped back and changed locations, but not technique and soon Dani was almost dancing because of the pain and her ass was lined with beautiful horizontal stripes.

She pressed her face into the coverlet below her and took a breath. Her ass was on fire and it throbbed with each beat of her heart and then the stroke landed and she moaned with it and then there was another and she found the rhythm. A soft moan escaped with each strike and that was when she was able to feel it, the pull, the flow, the buzz; that feeling where time seemed to stop and all there was her and Sir and the thudding pain that rocked her with the pounding in her heart. That place where her soul seemed to find peace with her mind and nothing mattered except that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. Nothing mattered except she was making him happy and she was happy.

The cane moved over and over again and he watched her tumble into her own headspace. He slowed down his strikes and lowered the intensity and listened and watched her. He paused and lowered his arm. Her ass now was a lovely pattern and he traced it with his calloused fingers making sure to press firmly over the fiercest looking welts. He dragged his thumb over one nasty one in particular where the skin had just split along the top of her left ass cheek.

Intense sensation pushed through the fog and Dani moaned, her head came up from the bed weakly and then fell back again and her ass swayed. Tears wet her cheeks and heat, god she needed him so badly right now, suddenly rushed between her legs. "Please…Sir…please…"

Her moan went straight to his cock. He needed her. He wanted her. She wasn't quite with him yet. He ran his dull nails over her ass, dull or not they would add sensation and they did the job.

She rose up onto her elbows with a yelp at the sudden changed sensation. Her eyes shot open and she panted and stared at the bed blinking as she tried to focus. Then his hand was in her hair tight. He pulled and tears were running down her cheeks from the sharpness of the pain. She was pulled upright and then against his chest. She pressed against it and almost sobbed simply because it felt so good to feel him against her. She inhaled his scent and rubbed her cheek against the hair on his chest. "Thank you Sir…thank you Sir…thank you…thank you…" She pressed kiss after kiss to his chest and neck. She knew that if it weren't for his arms around her she'd be a puddle on the floor by his feet right now and only partly because her legs were weak. She wanted to there right now.

Nico tugged her head from his chest by her hair and looked down at her. "You did good baby." He kissed her forehead. He pressed against her. He was thick and hard and he moaned softly at the thought of sliding inside her, but he knew Dani needed more. She wasn't finished. "Danielle, do you remember what we discussed?"

She blinked and bit her lip. Emotion suddenly overwhelmed her and she couldn't answer. She knew what he meant. It had been a long conversation. She looked at her left arm there was a barely noticeable bit of silvery scar about two inches long on her forearm. She swallowed, "Oh god…Sir I…" she didn't continue because he put a finger over her lips.

He frowned. "Danielle, tell me what you said about it when we discussed it?"

Three tears ran down her cheeks in an alternating pattern. She looked at her arm and then up at his face. "That when you felt the time was right, then I would be ready."

He arched his brow and massaged her scalp with the hand that held her hair. "Are you going to make me punish you for the lie first then?"

She bit her lip. Her voice wavered. "No, Sir. If you think it's the right time…oh god, then do it." She pressed her face to his chest and sobbed softly and she was thankful that he didn't try to stop her.

He pulled her closer even as he bent and pressed his lips to her hair. "It's time Danielle." God it was past time and he needed it more than she knew. His heart sped, his blood heated and if it were possible, his cock hardened even more making the ache between his legs intensify by a hundred percent. He held her for a few more minutes and then pushed her from his chest gently by her shoulders. "Trust me."

She looked up at him through blurry eyes and realized that she was feeling hazy already, she almost giggled and then she did. "Always." She said between giggles.

He gave her an odd look, but didn't try to figure it out. He framed her face with his hands and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He nodded toward the other room. "Go wait for me by the counter."

She nodded and slowly she walked toward the kitchen.

He watched and then sighed when she was gone. He needed a second to gather his thoughts and one more thing from his closet. He was beyond excited. He had this planned out. He had exactly what he wanted completely planned out. He turned to his closet and pulled the heavy custom made bench from its place. He opened the folding kneeling bench and set it beside the counter when he got the kitchen.

Dani waited in a daze. She was excited and terrified. She'd dreamed about this, but it had been a total fantasy. She'd never thought it would ever really happen. She felt him beside her as he brushed a hand up her arm and she lifted her eyes to his. "Sir?"

"I love you Danielle." He brushed his knuckles over her cheek and smiled at her. "I Iove that you love me and trust me with not just your heart but your mind, your body and your everything. It means so much to me." He kissed her softly. "You can't know how much this means to me."

She melted inside and all her fear disappeared. "I'm so sorry Sir…forgive me please…" Her eyes begged him more than her words. She swayed a bit, still unsteady on her feet.

"For what?" He held her, pulled her closer.

"Doubting? I'm doubting, I was, but not now." She moaned because one of his hands pressed into her ass and ran up the inside of her thighs. "God Sir, you've marked me everywhere."

He shook his head with a smile. "Not true." He turned her so that her back was to him. His hands traced a path midway up her back, about right where her bra strap would be. It was the width of his hand. "There isn't a mark on you here Danielle."

Once he pointed it out, she realized it was true and she nodded. Now she knew where it was going.

"I need you on the bench." He pointed to the kneeler and nodded as his hand eased to her collar and with a light pull he led her to it.

She placed her legs on the kneeler and waited as he buckled her legs down with the leather straps. Each leg was restrained separately and he was able to stand between them and then he pressed her down over the body of the kneeler and restrained her waist.

He walked around and looked at her and smiled. "I'm going to use the cuffs as well Danielle."

She nodded at him and lowered her hands from the padded rest to the sides where the leather cuffs were attached by O-rings to the kneeler and she watched him buckle each wrist in. She winced, because both wrists were abraded from the handcuffs earlier. She sighed and rested her head on the leather. Her legs were spread wide and her ass and pussy were on display. This was such a humiliating position, but it always made her feel so damn sexy and wanton and it turned her on so much.

She looked at him and whimpered at the heat and feral hunger in on his face. "Please Sir, I need you."

"I know." He smiled and kissed her and then he moved to the counter where he had set out his supplies. He really wanted to use his razor, but it wasn't precise enough for what he'd designed, so he was using a scalpel. He had hospital grade disinfectant that he'd borrowed from the training room. He opened the swabs and started cleaning Dani's back.

She felt the wetness and at first it didn't hurt, but when he expanded the ever widening circle to include broken skin, she hissed, then panted and cried. Then the fire on her back burned down to a dull roar and she waited for the next step.

He opened the scalpel, pulled on a pair of gloves and picked up the design he sketched along with a clean hand towel. He set it on the bench by Dani's head and walked around to her back to stand between her legs. "This is what I'm putting on your back baby." He smiled as she looked at it. It meant something to him and to her, he hoped. He waited to see what her reaction was. She'd probably recognize it, even though he'd stylized it. He pushed the blade up from its retracted position.

"It's the Kanji for balance right Sir?" She smiled. He'd traced it on her hand the first night they'd been together and many times since then. It hung on the wall in his living room as well.

"Yes and it's what we do for each other Danielle. We need each other. You're my counterweight in this world. I told you once you were my north star. I need you to find my way. I need to you to keep me steady. I do the same for you."

She blinked away the tears. "Sir, please yes if I would have known." She nodded her head and felt such shame. "I…please do it please…I need it on my skin for always." Her heart was bursting, that he wanted to put something on her that meant something to both of them. Not just a mark of ownership or his initials, but something with a much deeper meaning to them both. It just made her love him so much more.

He bent and kissed her cheek and then whispered by her ear. "Shh, always trust me Danielle. Always." He straightened back up and considered her back. There was more space on the left side. "Danielle, you can use your safeword if you need to, but it won't stop what I'm doing, only let you take a break, for obvious reasons I'll need to finish. Understood?"

"Yes Sir." She nodded and gripped the chains holding the cuffs. She took a couple of breaths and closed her eyes.

Nico put his left hand on her shoulder and then set the blade to her skin. "Okay, first cut." He pressed and the blade slid effortlessly into her skin he pulled it down and then lifted it. He mirrored the same cut beside it and then slanted a small cut at the bottom to attach the two parallel lines.

At first Dani didn't feel much, but by the time he was on the second cut the first was on fire and all the small nerve endings were screaming at her. Her feet started tapping against the padded rest and she made an, "ohhhh" type moan. Then he started on the next element of the design. She could tell because it was sitting beside her.

"You're doing good baby." Nico was surprised at how throaty his voice sounded even to himself. He cleared his throat and started on the cross piece at the top. He focused to keep his hand from shaking. His own adrenaline was running wild at this point. He took a deep breath and then started with the small slant on the left before taking on the long horizontal cut and then adding the parallel cut below it that he attached at the far end with a small vertical line. When he was done with the cross piece, what he had so far looked like a stylized T.

Dani was glad when he stopped, but she barely registered he'd paused and she was glad she was restrained because she would have pulled away if she could have. She was panting hard and she was feeling sick to her stomach and sweaty. She opened her eyes and things spun wildly. She wasn't sure if she was going to make it. "Oh god…Sir…please…"

Nico had paused before he started the next cut. He was watching Dani, he'd noticed she was pale, and it wasn't so much her words, but how she said him that made him hesitate even more. She hadn't used her safeword, but there was something in her voice. She was still panting and her eyes were still pressed closed. She was agitated and he didn't like it. His voice was stern. "Danielle, tell me how you feel." He was concerned, but he needed her answer now. He didn't have time for gentle.

She panted and kept her eyes squeezed shut with her head pressed to the leather. "Dizzy, sick…it's scaring me. Please…Sir…"

His eyebrow rose. "What is?" He stepped back from where he was and moved to her side.

Her eyes went wide and she turned her head to see him. Her breathing was even more erratic. "I…Ss…Sir."

"Danielle, hang in there." He retracted the blade and set it down on the counter. "Baby, look at me. It's a panic attack Dani." He'd helped her through them before. He touched her cheek and pushed hair from her face. "Focus here with me." He waited until her eyes were on his. "Good. Now you need to listen to me Danielle. You're hyperventilating. Take a deep breath." He nodded as she did it with him and then blew it out and then breathed in on his count for several breaths until she had her breathing under control again. "Good girl." He smiled at her. "Better?"

She sniffed and nodded. "Yes Sir, thank you." She blushed, "sorry."

"Shh," He used the towel in his hand to wipe her face and then kissed her nose before he stood. Then he picked up the knife and moved back to where he'd been. "Don't be afraid to use your safeword if you need a break Danielle. That's why you have one, but I'm going to continue Danielle."

She inhaled. "Okay Sir." She pressed her face down and decided to keep it there no matter what. 'I'm okay." She swallowed. She really was and she wasn't sure why she'd had the panic attack. The pain was different; sharp and hot, but it was tolerable. It was more something that got into her head.

"Keep your breathing in check Danielle." He knew the next lines were going to be the worst. They weren't straight and he was pretty sure they were going to cross an extremely sensitive spot on her back. He didn't tell her that. He opened the blade, refolded the towel in his hand and blotted the oozing wound on her back so he could see it better. He needed to put a curving, swoop across the vertical piece that then looped back across. He'd finish with his initials place neatly below one of the curves in this. He chose his starting point, pressed the tip of the blade through her skin and pulled down, curved the blade through her soft skin and then delicately brought it across the rest of the design.

Dani's hands went through spasms of opening and closing, but she kept her breathing under control this time by making noise. She couldn't help the scream that escaped. It was something just so primal. The initial cuts didn't seem to hurt much since the blade was so sharp, but as soon as the cuts were made, the pain kicked in. The nerves seemed to take a few seconds to realize they weren't connected to their respective bodies and then they screamed. This was when the alarms started and Dani's brain began its panic and her body started screaming. It's when the adrenaline and the endorphins were mobilized. She took a breath and then hummed when fire shot through her. Then he wiped at the spot on her back and she jolted at the added sensation of it.

She nodded frantic now as her brain was able to focus on her body; on sensation. "Sir, yes…more…" Her blood was singing now and she hated herself for her earlier weakness; why had she let that happen. She bit her lip. "Please."

Nico was wondering similar things, but the heaviness between his legs had him wanting only to finish this so he could end his torture. Damn, this woman was exactly everything he always wanted, needed and then some. "I have more to finish Danielle…" He bent back to his work on the last element of the kanji.

He liked the way the blade moved through her skin. He loved the feel of it, the look of it. He loved the way she was responding to it. He loved the trust she was putting in him. His heart swelled as he finished the last cut. He wiped and looked at it. He was happy with it. He was really happy with it. His own blood was singing at the thought of seeing on her forever. Marked. His. He closed his eyes and blinked back tears. Fuck…he'd never done this with anyone. Never a permanent mark, never something special, never with anyone he loved…never his. He had one last thing to add.

"Almost done Danielle…it's lovely on you…I hope you love it." He used the blade to carve his initials, simple, straight lines below the cross bar of the kanji.

Dani was vibrating with need, with love with the desire to see the man behind her. God, she was so hot and wet and needy she wanted him so badly right now. She needed him to touch her to take her. She didn't care how or where. She didn't care about anything as long as he fucked her. "Please Sir, I love it already…just please…I need you."

She sounded so desperate that he looked up from her back and he was surprised at the desperation he saw in her eyes. He smiled at her. He pressed the towel to the cuts. "I should tend to your back Danielle." He stepped closer between her legs and his bulging fly pressed against her swollen pussy. He almost moaned. He wanted her.

She did moan. The bench she was on gave her nothing to generate friction against since it was cut out between the legs. Nico's body was the first contact with anything substantial since he strapped her on it and she tried to move against him, but the waist strap prevented that.

She whimpered. "Please…please…" tears ran from her eyes.

He rocked against her again, which only made his own condition worse, but he could deal with that because watching her face and seeing what it did to her was worth it. He retracted the blade on the scalpel and flipped it around. He dragged the handle down the welts on her ass and smiled at the expressions on her face. He traced a large one in the crease of her ass. "Oh, this one…that's a nice one." He pressed the handle over it and she squirmed side to side, which he couldn't say he didn't enjoy. While he played with the welts his other hand slid between her legs and he slid two fingers inside. He moaned at the feel of her. "You're so wet Danielle." He continued to move the handle over her ass and slowly he stroked in and out of her.

Dani's mind was reeling. She wanted to move against him, but she couldn't. She needed pressure on her clit, but he wouldn't give it to her. He kept finding the places that hurt and that sent heat pulsing through her. It kept tumbling her deeper, it made her hotter, pushed her further and further and closer to something. He'd press a spot on her ass and she'd clench around his fingers. She had no idea how that was possible, but fuck…the pain was seriously turning her on right now. She wanted more of one and less of the other, or maybe more of both. She didn't know anymore. She was confused, but she didn't care because she was getting closer. "Sir please, I need to cum…ple…ease…"

"Are you asking for permission or telling me what to do?" He smirked at her, but kept up his slow, steady torture. He knew what he was doing. Dani kept resisting what she wanted and he was trying to get her to give in. She still didn't like to admit that the pain actually got her off. Oh, she'd let it work her up and she'd let it push her close, but she didn't like to admit she might actually have a fetish and at least like it when she came. He was trying to push his point. Maybe she didn't need it, but she sure as hell liked it. She'd go out of her way to resist cumming while she was on the receiving end of pain that wasn't directly related to the sexual act itself. "Answer me Danielle?"

She shuddered when the fingers between her legs moved faster and thrust harder. She wasn't telling him what to do. "Asking you to make me cum Sir." She gasped when he landed a slap to her ass. "Ohhh fuck…oh…"

"So, you're telling me." The hand between her legs paused. "I was making you cum, you were close Dani. All you had to do was let go and you would have fallen over." He pinched her ass cheek until she squirmed and then the hand between her legs resumed its stroking. He even let a finger graze her clit a couple times until she moaned pretty for him. Then he continued just his even stroking in and out. He released the pinch on her ass and checked on the cut on her shoulder. The bleeding had slowed.

Dani was so frustrated and she moaned when his fingers slid back inside her. She wanted more, god she needed more. "Please Sir… more, please."

He stepped away from her and smiled when she cried out. "Shh, Danielle hush." He moved so she could see him. He had enough. He needed her. He slowly undid the fly of his jeans as she watched and then pushed them down his legs. He stood there naked in front of her and stroked himself.

"I need you so badly. This is what you do to me. All day, all night I think of you, need you. I dream of you on that bench, begging me, striped and crying. I see you on your knees, in my bed, laid out on yours…I see you bent over your desk and on mine at work. God, I see you begging me for everything I've always wanted to give you, for everything you've always dreamed of. I want to make you happy for ever Danielle and every time I see you it's always in a collar Danielle and from now on it will be with that mark on your back." He moaned and thrust into his hand as his thoughts sent fantasy after fantasy rushing through his brain.

She gasped. "I love you Sir…yes please all of it." She wanted everything with him. There wasn't a thing she didn't trust him with. He'd proven himself to her time after time. He'd made mistakes, so had she, but he'd always made it right. He'd always taken care of her heart and he'd been there for her when it counted. She was crying softly and it took her a few seconds to realize he was undoing her restraints. She moved her arms and then he was unstrapping her legs, but he had a hand on her low back, so she didn't move. She wouldn't have anyway.

He finished with the straps and then he grabbed the back of her collar and pulled her to her knees. "Stand carefully, you'll be dizzy." He stood behind her as she lowered her legs to the floor, his hand still hooked in her collar and he caught her by the elbow when she swayed. "Easy." He whispered by her ear and pressed against her ass. She felt so good against him he almost bent her back over there and fucked her. He turned her in his arms and pushed her hair from her face with a hand before he smiled and kissed her.

Dani didn't have a chance to respond as his tongue invaded, but god she was so happy. Her hands found his shoulders and her heart raced as she just held on. She let his tongue ravage and devour. He took what he wanted and left her breathless. She struggled to follow and barely kept up. Her head spun and she felt so much she couldn't explain it. The pressure of the bench across her aching ass, the throbbing between her legs, his hand moving up her tender left thigh and she needed, wanted, more…more.

He pulled back with a groan. Her eyes were glazed, pupils so wide her eyes looked black. He nodded. "I want you now Danielle, god I need you now." He debated where to take her and had considered keeping her on the bench, but had changed his mind. He led her to the bedroom. He loved her in his bed and he'd never get sick of seeing her in it, but right now he intended to bend her back over the footboard.

He pulled the coverlet that was neatly folded from along the bottom of the bed and laid it over the footboard as padding and then he bent Dani over it once again. "You looked so beautiful this way before." He let his hands drift over her back, careful to avoid the cuts, and then over her ass and thighs, careful to find every spot that would make her hiss and moan.

She moved from foot to foot with the pain and gripped the comforter under her. She moaned and spread her legs wide. She wanted it all. "Yes…please Sir."

Nico stepped closer, pressed against her abused ass and bent over her back, careful again of the cuts. He took her hands and moved them from where they were by her face and brought them down to her side. It was a much more difficult place for her to keep them and he knew it. He pressed her arms into the bed. "Keep your hands here. Don't move them."

She whimpered and nodded. "O…Okay, yes Sir." She didn't care, she just wanted him to touch her; fuck her.

He stood and slapped her ass, he listened to her moan and then he gripped her hips and lined himself up. "Do you want me inside?" He rubbed the tip of his cock along her wet slit and teased over her clit and then up and all the way back down the entire length of her.

"Yes Sir, please Sir, if it pleases you Sir." Dani sounded hysterical even to herself. She was begging. She would beg more if she needed to. She nodded and almost moved her arms, but then didn't, but wiggled her ass and pressed it toward him as he teased her.

He groaned. Nothing would please him more. "Sit still Danielle." He slapped her ass hard three times and when she moaned he did too, but she stopped. He pressed forward and his entire length rode over her clit.

"Oh my god, oh my god…Sir…" She went stiff suddenly and her voice rose in pitch.

He chuckled and repeated it even though he was torturing himself. He slapped her ass and slid against her clit slowly forward and then back. His head fell back on his shoulders. "Oh god Danielle, you are a sweet torture."

Her breath hissed through her teeth and she struggled hard not to move her hands. She wanted them up by her head, over her head, hell anywhere but where they were. She pressed her forehead into the bed and sobbed her frustration out. "Please…Sir…oh please…I…I…"

He pulled back and then he thrust and was inside her completely.

Dani's head came up off the bed and arched back onto her shoulders. She screamed to the ceiling. "Yes, thank you Sir, thank you." The sudden invasion hurt and felt so good, she didn't fight the tears. She smiled and grunted as he started thrusting hard and fast.

He didn't hold back and he reached for her hair with one hand and pulled her head back to arch her back toward him as he steadied her hip with the other hand. He fucked into her harder and faster. "Danielle, you are mine." His hips snapped furiously, faster and harder.

She was lost and she didn't care. Tears ran from her face. Her scalp was screaming, her back, ass and thighs were on fire, and as sweat started to form on her skin the cuts now felt as if battery acid had been poured into them. And then Nico, her Master the man she loved and would die for her, the man she would die for, was driving into her over and over. He was bruising her on the inside and it only made her feel even more complete. She sobbed as the symphony finally came together. The director was tapping his baton and the most beautiful music was about to start. "Please Sir…oh god please may I cum? Please? Please? Please?" She panted…she needed his permission in the worst way. If he told her no right now, she knew she'd cum anyway and end up punished.

He knew she was hovering and he wasn't going to punish her. He wanted her to accept the pain as pleasure. "Fuck yes Dani." He smiled. "Cum for me baby."

She let herself tighten around him, stopped trying to keep the muscles relaxed and then there was a flutter and then the spasm and she screamed. "Oh, oh…oh my god YESsssss…fuck….yes…Thank you Sir…thank you…." She rode it out and relaxed as much as she could, but Nico didn't stop and soon he'd forced her back to the brink quickly again.

He backed off for a minute and then slowly increased his pace and he had her back where he wanted her. He pulled out and then pulled her from the bed by her hair. He kissed her hard, pulled back and smiled at her stunned face. "You are so damn beautiful. I am so damn lucky."

She shook her head and gripped his hips. "Sir, I love you. Thank you…thank you…" She felt weak and a little dizzy, but she was so happy, still needing more, still in a glow from her last orgasm. She leaned into him. She knew he wanted something she looked up at him. "Do you want me on my knees Sir?"

He groaned as he nodded and his hand moved to her head, but she was already moving to her knees. He looked down at her as she wet her lips and opened her mouth. She kept her hands on her knees and tilted her head back waiting on him. He framed her face and his hands sank into her hair as his cock slid into her mouth. He couldn't help but moan at the feel of her wet mouth around him. He traced the line of her lips around his mouth with his thumb. He loved the way it looked and he slid into her mouth nice and deep.

Dani's skill had improved and she leaned to control her gag reflex for the most part. She still had a few issues with it, but she did manage for the most part. She watched his face and loved the way he looked at her while she served him this way. It never failed to get her hotter than she was. Even if she finished him this way, she'd be happy. She didn't care. He went deep and she gagged. She fought the reflex and he pulled out.

He grabbed the O-ring of her collar and pulled her to her feet. "In the bed." He waited until she was in position and then he joined her. He sat, leaned back against the headboard and then cocked his finger at her. He stroked himself and then held his cock steady. "Face me. I want to see your face when you cum again."

Dani's heart sped up and she smiled. "Yes Sir." She straddled his lap and centered herself, her hands rested on his shoulders as he slid inside. Her eyes stayed on his the entire time. "Oh my god…" His knuckles brushed along her clit as he entered and heat pulsed through her.

He smiled and his free hand teased her left nipple and he continued to brush her clit with his other. "So sensual Danielle, so responsive, I can't get enough of you." He bent and bit along her neck as he pulled at her nipple. "Ride me."

"Yessss, Sir." She hissed as she rose up and slid back down his length. Oh, he felt so good inside her. She moved up and down on him. It was slow and deep. Every stroke down rubbed her aching ass against his legs and he kept the pressure up on her clit. All the while he pulled on her bruised nipples. The pleasure overlaid the pain and pushed her back again to the brink. God he knew exactly what to do. "Oh…how do you know?" She blinked to try see him clearly…her voice was thick and low in her throat. "Sir, fuck…yessss…"

He offered her a knowing smile and twisted her nipple before he shifted and leaned up and gripped her hips, tired of his passive role. "Cross your legs behind my back." He pressed a hand between her breasts and pushed her back over his arm, which was along her low back as he began to thrust into her. He also answered her. "I know because it's my job to know Danielle. Knowing what you need is why you trust me." He increased the pace and intensity of his thrusts and grunted with the effort. "God, you are so fucking sexy." He ran a hand over her breasts and pushed up and into her. His eyes were dark and heavy as he looked at her.

She held onto his arms and grunted with him. She loved the look on his face and his eyes. She lived for that look. It was so raw and no one ever got that look but her. It was love and sex and violence all wrapped into one look and she wanted it all the time. "I love you Sir…I love you…Please more.."

His heart almost stopped. He'd give her everything if he could. He moved harder into her and hoped that she was close as he thought she was. He wasn't going to last much longer at this pace. He was going to explode. He needed to bury himself inside her and cum so badly. He gripped her and moved harder and harder. "I love you too Danielle. I fucking love you so much." His voice was a feral growl of possession.

"Yes…fuck. May I please cum Sir…" She was wild, moving with him. She met him thrust for wild thrust. Pushing into him as hard as she could and grunting with the pain and needing the next to hurt just a bit more. She ground into his hand. "Please Sir…"

"Yes…fuck yes..." He threw his head back and grunted as he felt her pulse around him.

She screamed her release and her nails dug into his arms. "Oh thank you, please, thank you…oh yes…" She said more, but most of it was lost in her sobs. She convulsed and leaned up to press herself against him. She felt them fall.

Nico caught her as she leaned into him. "Fuck Danielle." He thrust into her, still gripping her hips and then he leaned back as they fell and pulled her with him so that she was on top of him again. He pressed his hands against her ass, pulling her down against him. He smiled when she moaned prettily and wiggled against him. Then he thrust again and came with a loud groan. He was sure to press her ass again.

Dani startled and hissed. Her breath ruffling the hair on his chest as her hands curled against his pectoral muscles. "Shit that hurts Sir."

He kissed the top of her head and dragged one hand up over her ass and the right side of her back. "Well, if you wouldn't have lunged at me, we wouldn't be in this position. Would we?"

She inhaled sharply. "Um…" She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. She felt the blood rush to her face. "I'm sorry Sir. You overwhelm me."

He smiled at her and pushed the hair from her forehead so he could see her face better. He shook his head. "I love you overwhelmed Dani."

"I love you any way I can get you Sir." She kissed the hand by her face. "Thank you so much, for everything." Tears were forming and one stuck on her lashes. "I don't know what I did before there was you." The tear fell on to his chest, she smiled and kissed it from its landing place.

He lifted her face to his. "You don't have to worry about that ever again baby." He wiped the tears from her cheeks and pulled her up against his chest. "Rest for a bit. Then we need to take care of you back." He kissed her gently. "Sit up for a sec baby." When she did he pulled the coverlet from the footboard then settled them back down. He covered them up and snuggled her against him. "You good?"

She nodded. "Mmm, Sir…good." She felt hazy, but excellent. She was buzzing and tingly and she wanted to be right where she was for as long as he let her stay there.

He chuckled. "Good." He had looked at her back when he grabbed the blanket. It was fine for a while longer. He tucked her hair behind her ear. "God Dani, you make me so proud of you." He swallowed emotion and the thought of her wearing his mark for the rest of their lives. There was only one more thing that would make him happier. He closed his eyes and hoped she'd say yes.

Dani didn't try to stop the tears. He was proud of her. He loved her. She'd made him happy. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she was sure he could hear it. "I love you so much Sir. God, never…never has anyone made me feel like this." She leaned up and kissed his lips. "Thank you. I am so lucky, so blessed." She shook her head. "You amaze me and I have no words for how you make me feel."

He smiled. "Danielle, you make me feel the same way. I love you. Now rest baby." The quiet authority was back in his voice.

Dani smiled and lowered her head. She closed her eyes and for the first time in two weeks she was able to drift off to sleep peacefully.

Nico felt her relax and heard her breathing even out. He soothed his hand over her hair and pulled it away from her neck. He smiled and imagined a dainty gold and platinum day collar locked high around her neck. One like the one he'd just had made to exactly match his grandmother's wedding band…the one he planned to place around Dani's neck on their wedding night.

Just as soon as she said yes, which hopefully would be tomorrow. At least, that was his plan until she showed up at his front door…


End file.
